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Summary

A disturbed, flat-topped mound containing several large boulders lies immediately east of a break in the Willings Walls Reave. The outline of the feature is rather irregular and there is no evidence to suggest the presence of a cist or kerb. It seems most likely that this feature was created from material derived from the reave when the breech occurred.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019083: Medieval farmstead and field system, length of Willings Walls Reave, four round cairns, a ring cairn and pillow mounds at Willings Walls Warren

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE169
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 438977
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/611
• Old SAM Ref: 24231

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CAIRN (Constructed, Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC (Between))
• MOUND (Constructed, Early 20th Century to Late 20th Century - 1901 AD to 1999 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX56NE169, SX56NE169 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV167311.

(10/04/1979) SX 58216520: A cairn situated near a reave (SX 56 NE 123) on a north-west facing slope at 330m OD. It is of earth and stone and measures 4.5m by 3.5m and is 0.5m high with a slightly flattened top.
It is almost certainly prehistoric in origin and probably sepulchral although another possibility is that it is stone gathered for the repair or construction of the reave. Found during investigation. Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 140758, 15/4/1995 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(SX58226520) Round cairn 2.6m east of the Willings Walls reave. Cairn mound measures 4m in diameter and stands up to 0.6m high.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 165, Map 51 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Willings Walls Cairn '1' at SX58226520 is an oval pile of stones of 5.0 metres by 3.0 metres and 0.3 metres high a few metres from a gap in the reave. This untidy structure may not have been a burial mound at all.

Probert, S. A. J. + Fletcher, M. J., 2002, Plym Valley survey (Report - Survey). SDV350782.

(05/03/2002) SX 58226520. A disturbed, flat-topped mound containing several large boulders lies immediately east of a break in the Willings Walls Reave. The outline of the feature is rather irregular and there is no evidence to suggest the presence of a cist or kerb.
It seems most likely that this feature was created from material derived from the reave when the breech occurred.

English Heritage, 2005-2008, Prehistoric Survey Information (Cartographic). SDV345521.

Small cairn shown on survey.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UPHT-17 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(18/11/2019) Condition assessed as good; some vegetation encroachment threatening feature. A disappointing cairn by breech in wall See photo 7). Animal presence visible with light tracks (no areas of bare earth) around cairn coming to and from breech in reave.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs (Photograph). SDV363073.

Photographs taken during November 2019 visit.

Ordnance Survey, 2021, MasterMap 2021 (Cartographic). SDV364015.

Western of two 'Cairns' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1019083 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

Within Scheduled area.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.